Cuddles and Bedtime Stories
by secretlyscully
Summary: Asbel returns home from a month in Lhant with Hubert, and finds that Richard and Sophie have missed him more than he anticipated.


King Richard Windor and his adopted daughter, Sopheria, were flitting around the royal apartments, polishing every surface until it shined. Richard smiled at the girl, who was silently organizing everything in her room. He knew her silence was simply because she had no way of truly processing emotions, not because she felt nothing. She was just as excited as he was for her other father's return. Asbel Lhant, current Knight Commander of the Knight Academy in Barona, was out convening with his brother, Hubert Oswell née Lhant, current governor of Lhant.

Asbel had been away for a good three months, which was far too long. Of course, Richard and Sophie were of the opinion that Asbel being gone for a whole day was far too long, but that did not negate the fact that they'd taken to sleeping in the same bed so that they didn't feel so alone at night. Asbel was their rock in many ways. Richard still hadn't forgiven himself for what happened when he sucked all the eleth out of the valkines cryas, but Asbel gave him that absolution he craved. Sophie was slowly coming to terms with the fact she was created as a weapon, but she had told Richard one night when they curled up together that Asbel taught her how to be human.

There was a knock on the main door to the Royal Apartment jolted them from their work. Sophie sprinted to the door and flung it open, her arms closing around Asbel's waist before the man even stepped through the doorway. Richard looked up at the commotion and smiled, smoothing out his shirt. Sophie climbed up Asbel's body so that she was cradled in his arms, and Asbel walked her into the living room, setting her on the couch. She kissed his cheek and waved him to Richard, smiling as they embraced.

"I've missed your presence," Richard said, running his fingers through Asbel's hair. "Mostly, I miss your shirts hanging over all the chairs."

"Right, because you nagging me to clean up after myself means that you like my mess all over our rooms." Asbel rolled his eyes. "I've missed you, too."

"You'd better have missed me. You've been gone for a month."

Asbel laughed softly. "You needed me to do this for the crown, Richard. If we didn't orchestrate this deal with Hubert, we'd be at war with Strahta over Lhant and fighting Fendel over eleth, instead of just fighting Fendel over eleth. We needed this, and I have no problem working for the whole of Windor, not just its ruler."

Richard rolled his eyes and shoved Asbel onto the couch, the red-haired man flopping next to his adoptive daughter. Sophie crawled onto Asbel's lap and stared at Richard, her eyes unblinking. She yawned.

"You can have one story before having to go to bed, Sophie, but you must go to bed after Asbel and I read you that story." Richard waited for Sophie's nod before proceeding. "Go get ready, dear one."

Sophie padded into her room, and Richard slid next to Asbel, leaning into the Knight-Commander's torso. "Sophie and I need you here, Asbel. Everything was off while we waited for you to come home. Don't you ever leave us again."

"Not even if the crown needs me?"

"The crown needs you here, Asbel. And I authorize you to send someone as your representative, to speak for you while you stay here, with your family."

Asbel laughed and kissed Richard lightly, sliding out from his seat on the couch. "I love you, you silly man, and I would love to show you how much, but we need to read our daughter a bedtime story."

"But… cuddles…" Richard pouted as Asbel walked into Sophie's room, following the red-haired man with a slump to his shoulders.

The story was Sophie's favorite, the tale of how Richard and Asbel found each other again after Abel went off to fully reconnect with Hubert. Richard had waited for Asbel to return to Barona, throwing himself into his role as ruler of Windor. Richard had started by returning the eleth, his whole being going through hell to start making up for the pain he'd caused when fused with Lambda. When Asbel finally returned to Windor and Barona after three years out of the country, Richard immediately ordered Asbel back to the Knight Academy to finish his training.

Asbel becoming Knight-Commander was purely for Richard's benefit. As Lhant was now completely under Strahtan control, Asbel wasn't considered the Lord of Lhant, and therefore needed a title to court Richard. Sophie liked their wedding the most, the only completely white wedding in Windor's history.

"When will my new brother get here?"

Asbel smiled down at Sophie, who was sleepily staring at her fathers. "Your new brother will get here when we find the right little boy, Sophie. Don't worry, it'll be soon." He kissed her forehead and tucked her in. "I'll talk to Richard about it, okay, love?" She nodded and closed her eyes.

He found Richard lying in the royal bed, buried under a mountain of blankets. "Sophie keeps asking about the boy we're planning on adopting. She wants to know about her new brother."

Richard sighed. "We still have to weed through every family who wants to give their son a leg-up in the world."

"If His Majesty would allow me to leave his presence, I could go to where orphans hide out and bring some boys home."

"Oh, some boys?"

Asbel nodded. "Sophie could use more than one sibling to interact with, and we both know having more than one heir is safer." He stripped and crawled under the blankets. "Don't be angry, lover. We can handle it."

"Fine," Richard sighed, scooting over to where Asbel lay. "The King demands cuddles."


End file.
